There are four types of the so called minor scales, out of
which the first and most straightforward one, the parallel mode of a major
scale, you have probably come across with. It is also called the
natural minor and is an internal part of the
seven basic scales.

The other three minor scales are the
harmonic minor, the
melodic minor and the so called Gipsy,
sometimes also referred to as Hungarian minor scale. They encompass altered,
raised or flatted, notes compared to the natural minor scale, which results in
scale structures completely new to your ears. The composers of the Classical
and Romantic Era demonstrated in their masterpieces that virtually any note
can be incorporated in a minor scale, either making it an altered however
still minor mode or shifting it to an atonal scale structure.

Let's start exploring the minor scales! First I will plot
the complete structure of each minor scales, then you can start with the first
scale degree from the A note, using the trichord scale structure, as the below
figure shows. Mirror images plotted by OSIRE.

There are some other sections to look
up about the harmonic minor scales:

This scale is the equivalent of the
fourth degree of the gipsy scales described in Exotic scales I. section. As an
interesting fact and also a misconception, some literatures refer to this
scale as the Hungarian Gipsy scale. You can find my opinion on this
misconception and the reasons in the section mentioned above.